Face off.
While looking for her long lost sister, Shi Qi is overpowered by the scheming Prime Minister's daughter Shen Qin. When she wakes up, she discovers that a magician used dark magic to swap her face with that of Shen Qin. She finds herself married to General Xiao Hansheng in Shen Qin's place. Shen Qin assumes Shi Qi's identity and returns to the side of her lover the ambitious and ruthless Prince Ning. Shi Qi is unable to expose Shen Qin to either man as her sister is held hostage by Shen Qin. The plot tightly weaves together lurid affairs, murder and intrigue, treason and breathtaking, titillating romance. The suspenseful tension climaxes in a satisfying face off between the two women with a gobsmacking twist. Best to steer well clear of spoilers for this one.While the chemistry between the lead couple sizzles with passionate intensity, there is a quiet authenticity in how their relationship blossoms. The powerful hook of this romance is the simple convincingly articulated idea that Shi Qi has a unique identity that transcends her physical appearance and her true soulmate can sense her soul, the core of who she is. This is at sharp contrast with Prince Ning who lacks insight and does not have the same connection with his lover. That said, the second couple's dark chemistry is also alluring enough to make me root for them. While the story is quite dark, the dialogue is infused with wit and humour. The rapport and banter between the general and his much aggrieved military advisor hilariously and effectively captures the evolution of the general's feelings.
There is little to find fault with in the crisp, intriguing plot and the heartfelt performances by the young cast. Indeed these gorgeous young actors can give lessons to their more established peers on how kiss scenes should really be done and how not to sleepwalk through a drama. Is it a masterpiece? Nope but it is addictive enough for me to rate it an 8.0.
Bottom line - this is a total find of a delectably sexy and suspenseful romantic short-length drama that you must start watching now. Just do it. And thank @Noel for this stupendously good recommendation.
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Surprisingly Good Historical Mini Drama
I am very glad I came across this and decided to give it a try. I didn't have any expectations. After reading the description and summary and some of the discussion postings on mydramalist, the storyline intrigued me enough to give it a go. This is NOT a fluffy youth drama and it seems like there was a decent budget and thought spent on its production for a short web series. Its not a high budget drama like some of the hyped up full fledged CDramas; for a short web series, it was decent and above par compared to its peers. While it is a VERY different drama from Goodbye My Princess, it's similar in the sense its a web series with a unique take and a decent production feel to it that makes it stand out.The costumes and settings are beautiful and do not look cheap. It is not a fluffy youth drama but it has comedic elements and liked how there really aren't any draggy parts since each episode is pretty compact. I do wish it was made into a full featured drama as there are plenty other CDramas that are bad but given so much more production time than this. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors and actresses which is a bonus since sometimes it gets tiring seeing the same popular actors and actresses over and over again. Glad there are others who are given a chance to provide a refreshing take on characters. I thought the actors and actresses did a pretty good job and they were engaging and believable in their roles. I was skeptical with how they would pull off the love story of the ML and FL characters in the midst of mystery and political intrigue and with each episode being pretty short, they pulled it off.
As a warning, the english subs are limited and aren't great; it was good enough series that I overlooked it and replayed some parts again to get a better understanding.
Whoever penned the web series, original story and the director should be given more projects in the future. Good Job. Its so refreshing to find this after a few disappointing CDramas
Finally finished this, the ending didn't quite hit the mark but overall it is still a very good short web series.
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You are only skin deep
If short clips series are becoming a trend, this series raises the bar among the lot.Although this series is short, each character has a personality and motivation that bring its own color to the show.
Shi Qi is the loyal, determined female lead who values relationship and integrity above all else; while Shen Qin plays the foil to Shi Qi's light, a woman who equally puts love above all else, though has walked the obsessive path instead. As for the male leads, I like Xiao Han Sheng's premise, who trust his instincts above all else; and King Ning rounds up this cast perfectly with his obsession of an "impenetrable front", only to reveal a vulnerable soul within after getting hit by our Shi Qi - literally (in one of the scene) and figuratively (referring to his "front").
Familiar stranger has the familiar troupes, pun intended, we know well. Shi Qi and Xiao Han Sheng are the fated characters who shared a short, unforgettable encounter in the past. which eventually blooms into a love that transcend physicality. i.e. Xiao Han Sheng is able to recognise Shi Qi at the core of who she is despite black magic is not something that is common in this world's setup. Prince Ning is the typical frivolous second male lead that wants the 1 girl who sees him beyond his status of King and who he is within the tough front - a vulnerable, lonely soul who pushes everyone away. And Shen Qin's questionable acts have a proper link to her childhood days, as revealed during the climax.
Familiar stranger shows that what audience laments about familiar troupes ain't because they are familiar, it's about the execution - the care it gives to the characters, the care it gives to a well woven plot, care it gives to find a cast who can act their roles proper. When proper care is given, familiar troupes be damned, I will watch your drama and rate it well.
The intensity of a complex plot and dark villain (she does use black magic after all) is balanced well with supporting cast who has a more lighthearted personalities. I love love love the banter between Xiao Han Sheng and his military advisor. And yes, even if I know it's another cliche, I buy-in the adopted cute daughter as our main leads' romance catalyst.
All in all, if you like suspense romantic drama but don't have much time, this short 10 mins of18 episodic series will serve you well.
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punch of a twist, but not much else
"A Familiar Stranger" definitely had potential – an interesting, pretty unique premise and a creepy, almost sinister atmosphere set up in the trailer and the first episode. Maybe it's the length, maybe it's the focus on the romance, but this potential is not fully taken advantage of.As an avid romance fan, I have to say that there was too much emphasis on the romance in this one. Especially since it was so short, it felt like all of the time was being occupied by the romance instead of the plot, which barely got fleshed out. Which kind of sucks, because the plot was the strongest thing going in this. I wanted to know more about the face swapping and the sorcery behind it, and expected the drama to go more into that weird creepy magician creature. Instead, I got extra useless domestic scenes that added nothing to the characters, the development of their relationship, or the plot. And when I, the ultra lover and promoter of plotless dramas and useless domestic scenes, say that, you know that it's serious.
The result of this is that instead of the creepy, sultry drama we were promised, we get a drama that can't decide whether it wants to be a light, slightly mindless romance or a gripping, eerie suspense.
One reason why I'm probably complaining about the focus on romance when I usually wouldn't is that the romance just wasn't good enough. If the chemistry was out of this world, then maybe I would rate this a 9/10 and ignore the plot completely. But the chemistry between the leads was only so-so, and also pretty boring. I could believe the characters liked each other, but it was still very flat and uninteresting, most likely because both characters were very uninteresting. It was kind of like watching two pieces of cardboard fall in love with each other. Like you get that they're in love, but at the same time you don't care because they're pieces of cardboard.
Biggest strength was the end. The plot twist blew me away, but maybe I'm just easily impressed. It definitely fooled me into thinking I liked the drama more than I really did, which is impressive.
Acting wasn't half bad. Wang Ze Xuan carried this drama all the way through with his maniac energy; he was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. Both actresses were far more impressive playing Shen Qin, only because Shen Qin had a much more interesting and complex character. It was honestly very impressive seeing how the actresses could play the two different characters, and yet you could still spot similarities between each of their Shi Qi's and Shen Qin's.
I wouldn't recommend this drama, but I wouldn't recommend against it either. I don't feel like I wasted my time on it, but I'm not particularly happy I spent time watching this either. Basically, I'm very indifferent to this drama. I wish it capitalized more on its strengths, i.e. creepy magic.
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Short, but good
I started this drama with low expectations since it's a short webdrama, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it actually was. The plot is engaging enough to keep you interested in how things will play out, and it is a fast paced drama, which I personally loved. However, even if you don't like fast paced dramas I don't think you can consider this a flaw when it comes to this drama since the episodes are shorter which means they had to fit the story in somehow. I actually think the story was developed well given its restrictions, and they even included a plot twist at the end which I did not expect at all. Overall, this drama was really good and I truly believe that it would've been even better if it was a full length drama with more budget.In terms of the acting, I wouldn't say there was any stellar performances, but I think all the actors did well in their respective roles, especially the main leads. I loved the chemistry between them and their kiss scenes were ten times better than some kiss scenes I see in other dramas. They have a lot of potential as actors and I can even see them becoming top stars to be honest, especially since they have good visuals as well. I really hope that they can get bigger and better roles soon and showcase their skills to a larger audience.
In all, I recommend this drama if you want to watch a short, fast paced, but well developed story with intriguing characters. Don't go into this expecting a great production like you see in longer cdramas, instead appreciate what the cast and crew created with the resources they had, which in my opinion, was a great drama!
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For idol dramas lasting longer than 3 hrs ... seek immediate medical help.
A Familiar Stranger is a historical costume drama revolving around 2 FLs and 2 MLs. One of the pair is the good couple, the other, not so much. And due to some ancient Chinese face swapping magic, the identities get all twisted for the FLs, and we get a romance-thriller type of story as audience try to figure out what's the goal, motivation, and the real identities behind all this plotting. Along the way, we get a story packed with plenty of dramatic moments, skinships, and heady tropes orchestrated without the filler.**Full disclosure: this was my first mini-drama and one of the few idol costume romance shows that I've attempted. Idol romance is not an offering that I can normally stomach, but I pulled the trigger because of its short length‒18 x 10min episodes for 3 hours of total runtime. Compared to the standard bloated 40 episode 45 minute ordeal, this was doing penitence at 90% off.
Despite seeing decent ratings and good reviews, I was not expecting much. I was already wary of big budget idol dramas, and was prepared for worse given the nature of mini-dramas‒tiny budget, hastily shot, and inexperienced actors. To my surprise, this show actually packed enough story content to rival full length dramas and offered decent production quality and acting to match. That's not to say the story is a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. But for its intended audience and aim, A Familiar Stranger offered plenty of romantic moments, heady tropes, a lively plot, and plenty of eye-candy. It also answered an important scientific question that had been puzzling me‒how much idol romance drama can I stomach before the vomit just ejects out of me? Turns out, I'm definitely strong enough to go 180 minutes. And at 10% runtime, it also answered an important corollary, which is that 80-90% of the story in idol dramas are mostly brainless fodder and fluff.
Now if you are into the fluff and like the full-length ones, more power to you. Different strokes for different folks. But for those who dread the fillers, slow-pacing, and length of cdramas, these quality mini-dramas may just be your thing. And as an added bonus, these often feature a lot more chemistry, passionate scenes, and skinship than the standard dramas that face tougher censorship scrutiny.
As an aside, the business aspect of this show was one of the most interesting aspects. By having the 2 FLs face swap with each other, the script allowed both to showcase their acting chops for the 2 most common roles in cdrama‒the innocent girl and the evil girl.
**Notes and Musings**
1) ML has the most gossipy and useless military advisor.
2) The fearsome ML general also has the most porous mansion security, bad guys and unwelcomed guests roam around undetected, while the maids keep catching ML/FL at the most inconvenient moments.
3) A lot more skinship and intimate scenes compared to the usual dramas, must be laxer censorship around mini-dramas.
**Category Ratings**
Overall - 7 (+.5 MDL inflation)
Plot - 7.5
Theme/Message/Impact - 7
Acting - 7.5 The leads did a decent job for the purpose of the show
Visuals/Production - 8 looks pretty good for the budget
Audio/Music - 7.5 Sound gets muted occasionally for the YouTube version
Rewatch - 7
Accessibility - 8 Easy to understand plot and tropes
Subtitle - 8.5 Surprisingly polished subs that delivered the meaning and dialog quite well. Even the OST lyrics had decent translations.
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Mind blowing ending
This series is proof that even dramas with short episodes can be amazing! This should be on everyone's must watch list.Though the show has a fantasy element to it with the face swapping, the show is mostly depicting human emotions and relationships and character developments as well. The evil characters are actually grey. The story is actually simple but presented in a wonderful way. The relationship between the main couple is very sweet and will make you smile. The female lead is not powerful per say, but she is not feeble-minded or presented as helpless. She knows how to solve her own problems. The male lead is also intelligent and kind which really shines. The side characters, be it the military adviser, the child, the friend from the brothel house or the head maid, are all lovely and add their own charm to this show. The negative characters also add a very interesting element. I enjoyed the role of the prince quite a lot.
Episode 17 is probably the best. It moves super quick and brings some unexpected insights that tie the whole plot together.
The OST is very memorable and catchy. This is definitely much more than a romance drama with the mystery element but it will give you enough of both.
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This review may contain spoilers
Appearances vs Reality
I really enjoyed this short drama which was extremely fast-paced. Everything went so very fast that it felt as if I would blink and miss something important.What I liked:
- Fast-paced plot that was suspenseful and intriguing.
- Plot had sweet moments and funny moments too. It was not all bloody and scary and manipulative throughout.
- I liked the growing fondness and love between the General and the real Shi Qi (with Shen Qin's face). It was pleasant to see their relationship blossom based on true affections for each other.
- I liked to see that the General was a smart person who found answers and was sincere in his affections towards the real Shi Qi.
- The little girl, Yuan Bao, was adorable. She also acted well for a little lass.
- The acting of this young (and fairly new) cast was good and I think that they will go far as fine actors and actresses.
- The characters were complex and showed changes in emotions based on the circumstances that they were in. Everything felt very heartfelt.
- I really loved seeing General and real Shi Qi together. They were so endearingly cute. *aww*
What I didn't like:
- Crazy bitch in the form of real Shen Qin (who was not actually the real Shen Qin either).
- That strange fellow with a bandaged face and all scared me. The stabbing scene was horrific IMO.
(But, I understand the purposes of the above despite not liking them.)
Additionally, I think what this drama wanted to convey was that: one's appearances is just superficial. It is one's good character and one's good heart that shines and that instead of simply being hung up about appearances like King Ning, one should be like the General, Xiao Han Shang, and love as well as recognise the person for who he/she truly is.
I quote: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince & “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince.
Overall, I'd rate this drama as a "must-watch" little gem. It's very fast-paced and super action-packed. So many things were happening in a short frame of time. It was a riveting watch! Very exciting, interesting and suspenseful! Enjoy! :)
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Wow ?, what a twist , never expect it will end this way.
The story begin with our poor Shi Chi , she undertake a comission to do a private painting , never she expected her life will be turned up side down . When she awake up in the general mansion she undergo a complete face change! She become hysterical saying she is not she is and run screaming. Later in the night , when he remove her viel she recognize the general who saved her fews year ago , in turn she saved him by the wolves since he was injured and she drag the sledge, saying general look at the fireflies . So the twist of the story is that her older sister was the one who underwent a face change many year ago , don’t why she did . The girl she thought was her sister was the prime minister daughter . The prime minister daughter killed the Magician, because he can’t reserve the procedure . Even thought it was a lowbudget drama with B grade actor! I enjoyed the drama with few hot romantic screen, action and melodrama . In the end she give birth to a baby boy and they named him Fu bao. Sadly her elder sister & King Ning died .Was this review helpful to you?
An enjoyable low budget web drama that doesn't look cheap.
Completed: 10/15/2022Following the success of "The Killer is also Romantic", director Zeng Qing Jie has another well-directed and produced short drama in "A Familiar Stranger". I am often quite critical with the production of low budget dramas because the fake sets, cheap costumes and questionable acting really affect my viewing pleasure. I am happy to say that I was not bothered by any of these factors when watching "A Familiar Stranger". In fact, it makes me want to check out this director's other works those two dramas are so well-done.
Compared to TKIAR, "A Familiar Stranger" is not as comedic but is more romantic. The plot is interesting and I think the story flows pretty well. Because it's such a short drama, there's no pacing issues. I know I mentioned this before, I am really surprised that the set designs, props and costumes look so good. I've seen mid-size budget productions with big stars that are worse this this drama.
I really enjoy the development of the main romance and I think the actors did a pretty good job. The chemistry between 'real' 17 and the General is good. There are a couple good, 'steamy' kisses but I wanted more (too many teasing almost kisses). We do have the typical accidental falling into your arms, gazing softly into your eyes, etc. But the ending twist was unexpected. There isn't any annoying character and the kid is quite cute. The only part that's a little unrealistic to me is how King Ning became so obsessed with 'real' 17.
It's not an amazing drama but it was an amazingly enjoyable watch for me.
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Even when you switched your face I will recognize you !
CAME IN WITH NO EXPECTATION ! sLOVED EVERY BIT!!!YA'LL THIS IS A HELLA GOOD DRAMA! A 100/10! a must watch! thrilling yet romantic!
The female lead is a painter who helps the people in the brothel to paint their pictures. One day she is told to paint a promiscuous picture of the second female lead aka evil lady and the prince having sex....She gets drugged and wakes up with evil lady's face. Evil lady also is holding her older sister hostage. Evil lady commands the female lead to find an item that belonged to the previous prince who died. Also the evil lady was engaged to the male lead, the general. So now the female lead has the evil lady' s face and becomes the general's wife.
What I like
-The male lead is cute. He plays the cold general well but when he is in love he becomes cute. He is cute when he smiles about the female lead.
-The male lead is smart and eventually figures out the identity of the female lead without her even saying.
-The general remembered that the female lead saved him and remember all the words she said. He didn't question her, just because her face is different.
-The female lead is super nice and sweet ( which contrasted the evil lady very nicely)
-They didn't give too much time to evil lady and prince
-The romance of the general and the female lead. They have some nice and steamy scenes together. They have really good chemistry. At the same the the evil lady and the evil prince have good chemistry too.
-There was also a cute daughter
-There was nothing that was draggy or too annoying of character. All of it was just right.
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